90 
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 
By far the most important works on South African scorpions are the- 
several papers by Dr. W. F. Purcell based on the collections of the Soutk 
African Museum, Those collections were very much more extensive than 
any available to the several authorities in Europe, and moreover, the greatest 
care was taken to make the locality data precise and completely reliable. 
Dr. Purcell's monographs of the genera Opisthophthalmus and Parabuthus 
are of quite exceptional value, and for many years must remain the standard 
work on the subject. 
A fairly large collection of scorpions was made a few years ago by 
Dr. A. Penther in the course of his travels through South Africa. Eecords 
of the species and descriptions of the new forms were subsequently prepared 
by Penther, but there are various discrepancies of distribution in his paper 
which seriously detract from its value, and most of his new species seem to 
have been ill-founded. 
A few species have been described by other authors, Dr. Karsch, Mr. E. 
Simon, Mr, A. S. Hirst, and the present writer. Simon's paper is based on 
the collections of Dr. H, Schinz in the Kalahari and Grerman S.W. Africa, 
and includes descriptions of several interesting forms, but unfortunately the 
exact provenance of the type-specimens is unknown. 
In the following paper an attempt has been made to provide a reliable 
synopsis of the main distinguishing characters of all the species and varieties 
known to inhabit South Africa : the distribution has been indicated as fully 
as possible without repeating the detailed records of Dr. Purcell. Several 
new species or varieties are described, and in the endeavour to arrange a 
natural classification it has seemed necessary in a few cases to assign 
subsidiary value to forms which have previously ranked as species. 
This paper is not intended to be an all-sufiicient guide to the study of 
scorpions, but as far as possible should be used in conjunction with the 
works of previous authors. No lists of synonymy are given, as on the whole 
I have accepted the results given in the lists of Kraepelin and Purcell : an 
independent list could only be attempted by workers to whom the types- 
of early authors are available. The gross distribution of the genera of 
scorpions is not dealt with here, as the main facts can be found in Da» 
Tierreich. Since the appearance of that work only two new genera have 
been described from South Africa, viz. Pseudolychas and Karasbergia, each 
of which is mentioned hereafter. 
As yet, I have made no intensive studies of distribution, though no 
doubt important results may be expected from a detailed examination of the 
data presented in a limited area where several allied species occur. The 
finer problems of distribution and variation, which are so significant to the 
student of evolution, are likely to prove comparatively simple in the case of 
creatures so sluggish in habit and possessing characters so well defined as. 
scorpions. 
ii 
